What Is HOBY?
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership is a registered 501(c)(3) organization that the actor Hugh O’Brian founded in 1958. The organization traces the idea to the nine days he spent with Dr. Albert Schweitzer, and it describes its approach as teaching students how to think, not what to think.
Its figures are large. The organization reports more than 500,000 alumni, more than 8,500 students at its seminars each year, more than 70 seminars a year across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, more than 5,000 high schools represented each year, and more than 3,000 volunteers.
Who Can Attend a HOBY State Leadership Seminar?
The seminars are for high school sophomores. The organization states that all high school sophomores are eligible, and that students are nominated during their sophomore year. The programs take place in the spring and summer, so students attend at the end of that year.
It asks schools to consider every sophomore and not to choose on grades alone. Its guidance to schools says that selections should not be based exclusively on GPA, and that leadership abilities are not defined by gender, race, or socioeconomic status.
How Does Nomination Work?
Most students are nominated by their school. The majority of seminars welcome at least two student nominations from each school, and a school that wants to send more is asked to contact the organization.
A second route exists for students whose schools do not take part. The Community Nomination program accepts nominations from people outside a school. A student cannot self-nominate under either route, because every student who attends must be nominated.
Each school decides how to choose. In the experience of Oriel Admissions, some schools ask teachers for names and others ask interested sophomores for a short essay or an interview, and the counselor usually manages the process.
How Much Does HOBY Cost?
The registration fee depends on the location and ranges from $225 to $450. The organization says that the majority of registration fees are covered by the schools, and that the fee covers housing, food, and all programming materials.
A family should ask the school whether it pays the fee. Where a school pays, the student has been both chosen and funded, which is different from a program that any family can buy a place in. Our guides to the National Student Leadership Conference and the National Youth Leadership Forum cover the fee-based kind.
What Happens at the Seminar?
A State Leadership Seminar lasts three to four days and is held on a college or university campus. The 2027 schedule lists the first confirmed seminars in late May and early June, with many dates still to be announced.
The curriculum has three phases: personal leadership, group leadership, and service leadership. Students take part in facilitated discussions and workshops. Afterward, alumni are challenged to complete 100 hours of service in their communities, which the organization calls Leadership for Service.
| Program | Who it is for | Length | How students get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Leadership Seminar | High school sophomores | 3 to 4 days | Nominated by a school or through the Community Nomination program |
| World Leadership Congress | Students aged 15 to 17 | 7 days | No nomination required. Open to seminar alumni and to students from other leadership or service organizations |
What Is the World Leadership Congress?
It is the organization’s weeklong summer program for rising juniors and seniors, held since 1968. It hosts more than 300 students from all 50 states and more than 15 countries.
The 2027 Congress will be held at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., during the week of July 24 to July 31, 2027. Students aged 15 to 17 are eligible, and no nomination is required. Most participants have attended a state seminar, but students from other leadership or service organizations may also attend. The pages read for this guide do not list the cost.
Do Colleges Care About HOBY?
Admissions readers know the program. Oriel Admissions rates selection for a HOBY state seminar as a recognition at the school level. It tells a reader that the school put the student forward as one of a small number of sophomores. It does not carry the weight of a state or national award, because more than 8,500 students attend each year. For juniors, Boys State and Girls State are the closest equivalents, with selection by American Legion posts and Auxiliary units and a sponsor who pays.
The seminar matters more as a starting point. A student who completes the 100 hours of service, or who uses the seminar to begin a project that continues through junior year, has something specific to describe. A student who attended and did nothing further has one line. Our guides to leadership in extracurricular activities and extracurricular activity tiers explain how readers rank the difference.
The World Leadership Congress carries less weight as an honor, because it does not require a nomination. For Ivy League admission, none of this replaces the academic standard, which is nearly all As in the hardest classes the school offers.
What Should a Sophomore Do Now?
A sophomore should ask the counselor two questions this fall: whether the school nominates students, and how it chooses them. Schools make nominations during the school year for seminars held in late spring and summer.
Oriel Admissions advises a student who is chosen to decide before the seminar what the student will do with it afterward. On the application, the seminar belongs in the activities section, together with the service or project that followed. Our guide to the Common App honors section explains which recognitions belong there instead.
Frequently Asked Questions About HOBY
It is a nonprofit youth leadership organization founded in 1958. It runs State Leadership Seminars for high school sophomores.
All high school sophomores are eligible. Most attend after being nominated by their school.
No. Every student who attends must be nominated, by a school or through the Community Nomination program.
The registration fee ranges from $225 to $450 depending on the location. Schools cover the majority of registration fees.
State Leadership Seminars last three to four days and are held each spring and summer.
The majority of seminars welcome at least two student nominations from each school.
Oriel Admissions advises that it is a school-level recognition of modest weight. Service or leadership that follows the seminar adds more.
It is a seven-day program for students aged 15 to 17. The 2027 Congress runs from July 24 to July 31 at The Catholic University of America in Washington.
Sources: Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: home page, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: State Leadership Seminars, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: Nominate a Student, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: Schools, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: Frequently Asked Questions, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: World Leadership Congress, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: History
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